One of my favorite poets is Mary Oliver, a faithful Christian woman who writes exquisitely about finding God in the beauty of nature. As I think of our Lenten theme, Rooted, I remember a poem by Oliver called “When I Am among the Trees.” In this poem, Oliver talks about the joy of being around the willows, the honey locust, the beech and oaks and pines. She says they save her every day; they call out, “Stay awhile… rest…” And they remind her of the most important lesson of knowing that she, as well as each of us, has come into the world to be filled with light and to shine.

Oliver goes to this place of profound peace and safety because she desperately needs it. Oliver feels disconnected and separated. She writes, “I am so distant from the hope of myself, to which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly and bow often.”

I think all of us can relate to these feelings—the sense of being unrooted in this fast-paced, overstimulated, often scary world. We all need a place where we can go to rest and stay a while. Especially during Lent, we are called to these places to go more deeply into ourselves and our relationship with God. The Psalmist invites us to do this, to become like the trees that Oliver describes: to plant ourselves by streams of water so that we can be nourished and healed and prosper in all that we do. I believe this is not only to root ourselves in the depth of our own faith but also to reach out and help others root themselves in God’s great love.

So today, during this Lenten season, I ask each of us to consider: where is the place you go to be rooted?

Hello there—I want to talk to you today about a word called “Rooted.” R-O-O-T-E-D, yes, rooted. A simple word, but yet so powerful. And yet, even so complex.

The word “rooted” is mentioned in the Bible throughout Scripture several times. But today I want to talk to you from Ephesians 3, which Paul is telling us to be rooted and grounded in love.

But before he gives us that, he’s actually saying a prayer, and he’s asking that we experience the unlimited—yes the unlimited—gloriousness and resources of who God is. That we be empowered, and strengthened, and that through Christ Jesus, that we experience God through faith.

And then it goes on to say that we be rooted and grounded in love. After that it talks about a love that passes all understanding: the height and the depth. And in that is this power! And we will experience God’s unfailing immeasurable love, and we may be filled off of this love.

But let’s go back to the original word, which I started this off with: that word, rooted. Rooted and grounded in love. Rooted means to be established. It means to be ingrained. It means to go deep. But roots do not start off deep!

We often look at different things that happen throughout the world, and we can always tell the maturity of a tree [by] how deep the roots [are].

I want to ask you this: Can I tell your maturity [by] how deep your love is? Or the bigger question: How deep is your love?

I believe that today if the world needs to experience anything from us, it needs to experience the love of God! And the only way they can experience that from us: it first must be rooted and grounded within us! We cannot give out what we have first not received!

So, today, how deep is your love? If [it’s deep], let’s go deeper! Let’s be rooted and grounded in love so that people will experience the immeasurable power of God, that immeasurable that passes all understanding, and we may love them.

Are you rooted? Are you grounded? If so, is it in love?

To be rooted means that you have firmly established yourself in the source from which you receive strength.

Difficult family and ministry events took place, which were depleting my strength and shallowing up my faith. I was clinging to the insufficient promises of this world, leaving me uprooted, directionless, and personally disconnected to God. I wasn’t deeply rooted anymore.

To help me become rooted again I began to cultivate the practice of Sabbath. Sabbath is being attentive to God, as well as to yourself, so I needed to step away from the orientation, distractions, and confusion of the world in order to reorient my relationship with God. When I did that, soon my inner spirit began to settle, and as God’s steadfast love and promises were brought back into focus I felt I had made it home! Being attentive to God, beginning to know him again, helped me to remember the faithful and unfailing promises he offers to me, and believe me, I needed to hear that over and over again.

When I felt inadequate I remembered that God is my adequacy. He promises to always supply. When I felt weak, I remembered, he is my strength. He is sufficient! When I became weary and burdened I accepted his invitation to come and rest. And when my plans failed I clung to the promise that his plan is for good, and not for disaster.

So during this season of Lent; steal away for a moment, an hour, a day. Be attentive to God, remembering his promises for you. May this keep you rooted, steady, and strong as you deepen your relationship with God.